The amusement park industry in the United States is a huge source of employment for all types of actors and performers. Did you know that large theme parks can employ thousands of actors, musicians, and other specialized performers? The pay is good, the work is exciting, and acting in a theme park gives your resume a boost that can even qualify you for Actors Equity membership!

The main purpose of an amusement park is just that, to amuse its visitors. It's important that no matter where someone looks there is an entertaining, high-energy diversion. The most basic performer at theme parks is the "roving entertainer." A free-floating entertainer is hired to roam around the park cheering up patrons and adding to the fun atmosphere. The larger parks even hire performers just to entertain visitors while they wait in extremely long lines for a ride! As a result, there is plenty of work for jugglers, clowns, musicians, mimes, pole-walkers, artists, comedians, and the like. These types of performances also occur in a more organized manner, with multiple daily shows for more experienced performers at mini-venues around the amusement park.

A theme park wouldn't be a theme park without costumed mascots wandering around, clowning about, and taking pictures with visitors. While the guy-in-a-suit role at an amusement park has a bad rap, the parks take these positions very seriously. Disney, for instance, requires in-depth training for its costumed characters, and has very strict guidelines for the performance. Costumed characters represent the park in an iconic way, so they have to be spot-on. The slightest deviation or unpleasant gesture can get them fired on the spot.

Besides costumed characters, some parks also hire actors to portray human characters, like Snow White or Cinderella. These actors are paid more, and are held to higher standards of appearance and performance. They frequently split their time between acting as a floating mascot in the park, appearing in character parades, and performing in character in on stage.

Amusement parks also hire an army of tour guides each season for various roles, which can range from mundane activities to actively playing a "character" for the tour group. These are high-energy positions, and require the guide to sell the "magic" of the park, particularly to younger visitors.

The real acting experience found in amusement parks is in the many live performances that take place each day. The average actor in a theme park can expect to perform 30 to 40 shows a week, usually lasting between 20 and 40 minutes. Depending the day of the week, there are 4 to 8 shows a day, with crash rehearsals squeezed in wherever possible. This rigorous performance schedule requires more stamina and energy than regular actors might be accustomed to, but is a great way to prepare for the demands of the theater big-leagues. The larger amusement parks usually have performance spaces that can hold thousands of people, far more than any house on Broadway.

So how can you go about getting a spot as an actor or performer at an amusement park? All amusement parks, even the smaller ones, have agents that specifically handle casting. Specific shows end their runs, seasons change, and contracts expire constantly, so there is always a high demand for aspiring entertainers. Larger parks that run year-round have monthly or bi-monthly open calls, where hundreds of hopefuls will often show up, sometimes getting only half a minute with casting directors in the first round of auditions. Amusement park agents also maintain a presence at large theater conferences and will sometimes sign up promising actors on the spot for roles in upcoming productions.

The most important thing when auditioning for a role in an amusement park is energy. Casting directors need to know that you can maintain a high-energy level all day long for weeks on end. Second to that is versatility; actors with additional skills, like singing, dancing, acrobatics, juggling, and so forth have a greater chance at getting hired.

The busy season for all theme parks is obviously the summer, and the smaller parks usually only operate at full capacity between Memorial Day and Labor Day. If you're looking for a shorter commitment, or seasonal employment, you should start at smaller, independent parks. Large parks, like Disneyland or Hershey Park, are open year round, and sign most of their serious performers to 6 month or one year contracts. These positions are highly sought after. If you're part of a major show or attraction the park will usually pay your relocation fees and house you for the duration. Actors at Disney World even qualify for Actor's Equity as soon as they sign a contract!

Working at an amusement park is a great way to gain experience, build up your stamina, boost your resume, and earn a lot of money in a short amount of time. And it's fun too!

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